Cremation and Grief: Are Ways of Commemorating the Dead Related to Adjustment Over Time?

Birrell, J. H. W.; Schüt, H.; Stroebe, Margaret; Anadria, Daniel; Newsom, Cate; Woodthorpe, Kate; Rumble, Hannah; Corden, Anne; Smith, Yvette

doi:10.1177/0030222820919253

Cited by 21 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…12 Most recently, a study in the United Kingdom found satisfaction with funeral arrangements to be typically high, recognising that funeral services fulfil multiple functions for bereaved persons. 30 There is evidence to suggest that not attending a funeral or a lack of participation in memorialisation practices may lead to poorer grief adjustment and bereavement outcomes, seen in children 31 not allowed to attend funerals and adults prohibited due to incarceration. 32 More research is needed to understand the impact of altered funeral practices during COVID-19 on the mental health and grief experience of those bereaved.…”

Section: Memorialisation Practices Pre-covid-19mentioning

confidence: 99%

Memorialisation during COVID-19: implications for the bereaved, service providers and policy makers

2020

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Background: The aim of this rapid perspective review is to capture key changes to memorialisation practices resulting from social distancing rules implemented due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Method: As published peer-reviewed research pertaining to memorialisation practices during the COVID-19 pandemic is lacking, this rapid review includes academic literature from the pre-COVID-19 period and international media reports during the pandemic. Findings: Changes to memorialisation practices were under way before COVID-19, as consumer preferences shifted towards secularisation and personalisation of ritual and ceremony. However, several key changes to memorialisation practices connected with body preparation, funerals, cremation, burials and rituals have taken place as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic. Discussion: Although boundaries between public and private memorialisation practices were already blurred, the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated this process. Without access to public memorialisation, practices are increasingly private in nature. A number of implications are considered for the bereaved, service providers and policy makers. Conclusion: Forms of memorialisation and bereavement support emerging during the pandemic that blend the public and the private are likely to persist in a post-pandemic world.

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Section: Memorialisation Practices Pre-covid-19mentioning

confidence: 99%

Memorialisation during COVID-19: implications for the bereaved, service providers and policy makers

2020

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“…Evidence from recent studies -in non COVID-29 circumstances -suggests that the type of ceremony may not be so critical to bereavement outcome. Studies have not shown significant relationships between elaborateness of funerals with grief and grieving over time (Birrell et al, 2020;Burrell & Selman, 2020;Mitima-Verloop et al, 2019). Whether or not such findings are replicated in the case of pandemic restrictions -with the notable difference that the regulations are enforced, not chosen -is again an empirical question for further investigation.…”

Section: Limitations: Dpm Application and Further Research Directionsmentioning

confidence: 97%

Bereavement in Times of COVID-19: A Review and Theoretical Framework

2020

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A review of the literature on adaptation to bereavement during the COVID-19 pandemic was conducted to assess the current state of knowledge. Scopus, Web of Science and Google Scholar databases were searched for studies published during the first 6 months of the COVID-19 outbreak. 44 articles were included in the review. Narrative synthesis showed that knowledge was largely based on expert assessments of prior bereavement research and professional experience; there is so far absence of empirical evidence linking features of COVID-19 bereavement situations to health outcomes. Severe negative consequences have been consistently predicted by authors. There is still relatively little consideration of positive or compensatory processes or the possibility that these could alleviate the effect of the shocking, traumatic circumstances. With two notable exceptions, there has been lack of attention to the role of theoretical models for guiding research and practice. A theoretical perspective (the Dual Process Model, DPM) was applied to the information derived from the available articles. Two features of the DPM framework illustrated its relevance: 1. It enables systematic assessment of the range of loss- and restoration-related challenges for the bereaved; 2. It speaks for extension of psychotherapeutic intervention to manage secondary, restoration- as well as primary, loss-oriented stressors; studies have demonstrated that this may increase the effectiveness of intervention. Directions for future research and DPM application are suggested.

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“…Previous research introduced above suggests that satisfying funerals can buffer bereavement grief, through religious rituals, faith, and social support, while and Birrell (2020) found no such correlations. We were unable to show that positive appraisals of funerals result in positive health and productivity, but we did find that negative appraisals and abbreviated funerals correlated with lower productivity and higher medical/social service costs thereafter.…”

Section: Hypothesis 2: Effects Of Funeral Dissatisfaction On Productimentioning

confidence: 80%

How Grief, Funerals, and Poverty Affect Bereaved Health, Productivity, and Medical Dependence in Japan

et al. 2020

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Grief has been shown to weaken bereaved persons' health, but measurements of their lost time and medical expense remain rare. Funerals traditionally managed and assuaged grief through ritual expression, approval, and social support. Research suggests that satisfying funeral participation reduces grief, while poverty exacerbates it. We hypothesized that: (1) psycho-physical symptoms of grief, (2) abbreviation/dissatisfaction in the funeral, and (3) poverty, correlate with decreased productivity and increased medical and social services use. We collected data from 165 mourning families about their grief, funerals, and subsequent medical conditions. (1) Deeper grief after bereavement in Japan correlated with more physical problems, more down time, and more medical dependency. (2) Low satisfaction with funerals correlated with higher hospital, pharmacy, and counseling costs. (3) Low income families lost more time, while declining incomes showed increased pharmaceutical costs. This suggests that satisfying funerals and income safeguards may reduce costs of low productivity and increased public services dependency.

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Cremation and Grief: Are Ways of Commemorating the Dead Related to Adjustment Over Time?

Cited by 21 publications

References 37 publications

Memorialisation during COVID-19: implications for the bereaved, service providers and policy makers

Memorialisation during COVID-19: implications for the bereaved, service providers and policy makers

Bereavement in Times of COVID-19: A Review and Theoretical Framework

How Grief, Funerals, and Poverty Affect Bereaved Health, Productivity, and Medical Dependence in Japan

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